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You were never late for anything, yet today seemed to be different, since joining he ministry you were taught that a ministry worked like a well-set clock, precise and accurate in everything that happened, and it was to the point that it applied to even the smallest things. One of the many things happened to be, your one-on-one meetings with Copia, your lovely boyfriend . You couldn't recall how it all started, but as you started to "click" with each other as the weeks passed by, your days started slotting together, timetables adjusting to make time for each other. Today was such a day, a day to be spent in each others' company. You cherished these days greatly, especially with how much more busy copia had been since being a pointed to papacy, you missed these little days greatly, and you despised being late, today being day you’d beat yourself up over for being late, you despised it so much to the point to when you sat in another prolonged meeting, the time would haunt you, it getting later and later to when you were supposed to be with copia, panic would set deep in your guts. You were never late. Especially not to your little dates with Copia. But today happened to be an exception, not that you wanted it to be.
Running some errands for the ministry was no easy task especially when you had limited time to get it done. Hauling yourself back to the ministry your eyes skimmed the time quickly, your mind set on being on time though, at a second glance you were baffled to find you were in fact you were an hour late, the anxiety bubbling in your stomach though you’d try to brush it off thinking of how to explain your tardiness to copia.
The anxiety still evident, you tried to get back to the ministry as soon as possible, your foot firmly pressed on the accelerator, though you wouldn’t speed just fast enough to cool your nerves. Copia had a habit of waiting by the front door like a lost puppy awaiting its owners return home, though it was a sweet gesture but in this moment it was all you could think about and how he would be waiting there for you with a annoyed expression painted on his face. Driving through the grand gates that enclosed the ministry from any unwanted visitors, you quickly parked up awaiting the aid of some ghouls to help you bring anything you were tasked to buy inside, stepping out your car, you couldn’t help but feel the heat hit you, the ac in your car now wearing off, though it was a cloudy day it was still nice and warm— though maybe it was a bit too warm for your liking “Good afternoon aether!” You greeted the familiar ghoul, watching him step out the double doors, your breath slightly short as you spoke, the panic now setting in more than ever “Do you mind taking it all in? I’m running a bit late and you know how I get when I’m late-“ you cut yourself off before you rambled too much seeing a curt nod from the larger ghoul you quietly thanked him mentally noting that you would repay him somehow, he was too kind for his own good sometimes, but you appreciated him nonetheless.
“Right” you huffed out, speaking to yourself though you were certain aether probably heard you, though that wasn’t a priority at the moment you needed to find copia, and quickly. Speed walking up the steps to the grand doors you tried not to trip up them with as much grace as you could manage in a rush, stepping in the ministry you found it was eerily quiet with no sight of copia, you’d left him too long you sighed to yourself looking over the empty hallways “Copia? I’m back!” You spoke out seeing if he was hiding somewhere but there was no sight of him. Deciding you were going to search for him, you started by looking for him in the more obvious places other than around where he normally awaited your arrival , first place to look was his office he’d sometimes get caught up in his paperwork or even fallen asleep at his desk, making quick pace to his office you found yourself in front of the large doors placing your knuckles against it before hitting two taps and opening the door slightly ajar “Copia, mi amore? Are you in here?” You called out looking through the small gap between the doors, there didn’t seem to be anyone in there, nor the rest of the ministry, pushing the door open fully you stepped in just to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep on anything, no one. Sighing you made your way out the room and back into the hallway, “Where could he be..?” You asked yourself “Maybe the chapel?” You questioned slowly making your way there greeting siblings of sin as you went, you weren’t hugely popular in the ministry, with copia and yourself wanting to keep your relationship somewhat low, though it was kind to say hello, Especially with some siblings looking up you with the work you did for the ministry. Copia couldn’t have gone far right? Unless he’d suddenly had something pushed onto him by sister, though you doubted it.
As you started to approach the chapel you heard a faint humming coming from inside, which you only had to assume was copia, only to be utterly wrong “Finally” you sighed, talking aloud, you sauntered into the chapel only to see, Terzo slightly hunched sitting in a pew humming to himself, “Nevermind..” you spoke under your breath, although he wasn’t Copia you still had a good friendship with the former papa, making your way over to him, his head turned at the sound of your footsteps, his posture improving slightly, his head peeking over the pew slightly more, you could only hope he would know where copia was to end your wild goose chase around the ministry, it was honestly quite tiring.
“Hello Terzo!” You spoke out as you approached the pew he sat in, though, his short stature made him only just noticeable over the high back pews. Noticing the small smile that appeared on his face as the sight of you before he spoke “Ah! Ciao, bella!” Terzo spoke out, slightly startled by your sudden presence— “What can I do for you, cara?” He cocked his head to the side leaning his head on his hand, though he had his flirty nature terzo was very kind, he always had been “Well- I was looking for copia, do you know of his whereabouts?” You offered him a small smile, hoping he would know where copia could be. “Ah— i’m sorry, Cara. I don’t know the whereabouts of mia fratello, have you tried his office?” He suggested, Terzo wasn’t much of a flirt around you as he knew about your relationship with copia, even before you started dating copia he didn’t, Terzo always saw you as a sibling rather than a ‘play thing’ as so to speak— but nonetheless he was happy to help you “Yeah, there was no one there, I was a bit late from my errands so I don’t know if I’ve upset him or something..!” You poured your feelings out to him not being able to tell anyone else, terzo always seemed to know what to say “Ah I doubt that! He’s too forgiving, but good luck on your search, Mia dolce” Terzo winked playfully watching you sauntering out of the room, a small giggle escaping your throat at his antics, he was certainly a character— but you loved him nonetheless, much like how he thought of you he was like the big (but little) brother you never had. “Where has he gone, I swear this is worse than the time one of his rats escaped” you muttered under your breath recoiling at the memory, copia basically turned the ministry upside down that day, it was— eventful to say the least.
You decided to start walking down the hallways, looking down hallways, looking in little nooks anywhere you could to look for him but upon walking down the first hallway, you caught a smell that wasn’t normally evident, it smelt like, burning? Trying to reason with where the smell was coming from, your mind suddenly clicked. The kitchen was down this hallway! Though, the siblings that cooked meals never burnt anything? And— it wasn’t time to start cooking for supper yet? Wanting to make sure everything was okay, you forgot about looking for copia— a kitchen fire was a bit more important, that’s if that’s what the smell was coming from, with your feet coming to a halt you thought your theory was true. A small ball of smoke surrounding the kitchen doors, with some masculine sounding coughs and splutters coming from inside.
You were no firefighter but you needed to help out who was in there! Before rushing in your ears caught the sound of some mumbled Italian shouting, the doors and smoke softening the sound of what was probably screaming, peaking your head into the door, your hand came up to waft the smoke hoping to see a figure emerge from the ashes of the kitchen. Though no fire could be seen, or figure for that matter— though some clear Italian could be heard from a frustrated copia, your ears recognised his voice straight away as you rushed into the kitchen. Battling the smoke as you went to retrieve your beloved from what you could assume was a fire.
Copias voice quickly resonated through the room, your feet following his voice as he yelled “Oh cazzo!” Copias hands dropped to his sides after throwing what looked like a burnt cake onto the countertop, the smoke started to disperse, giving you a better view at copia, rather than the smokey silhouette that stood before you. With the smoke now cleared, a shirtless copia seemed to appear, a frustrated look painted on his face as loose hairs adorned his forehead, getting a better look you noticed the apron tied around his waist seemingly covered in flour as well as the rest of him, you couldn’t help but admit, he looked good in this moment. You loved to see him shirtless, it showed his top surgery scars so beautifully, sometimes you couldn’t believe he was YOUR boyfriend! Before meeting copia he was extremely self conscious about them, he was always hiding his body never showing it to a soul— But since meeting you he’s grown out of his shell a lot more showing off his scars and not caring about what other think. You couldn’t help but smile at the scene in front of you, a small blush dancing on your cheeks as your eyes scanned his face. Stepping closer to him, you could only hope he might be able to see you through the chaos he created.
Copias head quickly lifted from the counter at the sound of your footsteps, hoping it wouldn’t be sister imperator, or worse papa nihil. Though a sigh of relief resonated through his chest at the sight of you before his face filled with anxiety, his lips parting to speak as his hand found the back of his neck. “Oh! Hi cara..!” Copias voice was quiet though he tried to sound confident, his eyes shying away not meeting yours
“Hi love—” A smile quickly adorned your lips, missing his voice though I’d only been a few hours. “So what happened here?” You inquired, trying to work out what happened for him to have a burnt cake and be covered in flour, though you could work out little bits, it was like trying to put a puzzle together. “Well uh- i- was trying to bake you a cake but I burnt it, I’m sorry cara—” Copia sighed in defeat, his shoulders dropping and his head hanging low once again, you couldn’t help but frown seeing how disappointed he looked, you knew copia wasn’t exactly a chef but it was the thought that counted! “Oh, copia..” Your eyes wandered over him sympathy evident in your eyes, pulling him into your arms you just— held him, who cares if some of the flour got on your outfit, you can change.
“How about this..?” You pulled him from the hug, looking him in the eyes as your hands held his shoulders, a gentle touch. “How about we remake the cake together, huh? I know you wanted it to be a surprise but we can do it together!” You spoke out, a smile dancing on your lips as you spoke, copias eyes watching your adoringly, his arms snaking around your waist as he pulled you into a tight hug, muffling into your shoulder as he spoke “Sí! As long as we don’t burn it this time!”
You sent him a playful wink, lightly bumping him with your elbow before speaking again “Of course not! If we do it together, we’ll have a delicious cake in no time!” Glancing over to the counter, you saw an old recipe book opened on the page for the cake, checking over the ingredients, copia had conveniently left them all out, his scatter brain forgetting to put them away. Turning to copia with a smile you asked him to pass you the flour but instead, with copia being copia, he threw some on you with a smirk, your face turning from shock, so a smirk matching his almost perfectly
“Oh, it's on pretty boy!” You spoke out grabbing a handful of flour and throwing it over his head— it getting all in his salt and pepper hair, though it made him look even cuter. While you admired him you failed to didn’t notice the blush that crept up onto his cheeks, he always loved it when you called him that. Throwing flour back and forth brought you both infinite joy— it made you both feel like kids again like everything was in slow motion, something you only imagined to see in films.
Despite the powdery mess, you and Copia got the dry ingredients together in a bowl before going digging in the fridge to find eggs and strawberries to mix in. Copia was in charge of getting the eggs, and just as you retrieved the strawberries, you came face to face with a mischievous-faced Copia holding an egg over your head, just about to drop it. “Don’t even think about it, ratto!” You plucked the egg from his fingers and jabbed a finger into his chest playfully. “We’ve made enough of a mess as it is, Stronzo!” You teased him lightly before speaking again “Now, could you be a dear and cut and mash those strawberries for me?” He nodded and gave you a small kiss on the temple as an apology before obliging. You grinned and went to work, cracking and dropping the eggs into the batter. Not long after, Copia passed a bowl of strawberry mash to you and you pecked his lips to thank him before adding it to the mix to finish off the batter.
The process might have been messy, but through all the chaos you both managed to get the cake made and (eventually) into the oven. Slipping the oven gloves off, you clasped your hands together, facing copia with a smile “Right, while it bakes” you pointed at him, jabbing lighting at his chest “Let’s make the icing and, no throwing it at me!” You giggled, waltzing over to the cupboard, smacking copias ass on the way— it was like second nature to you at this point! Reaching to grab the icing sugar, you asked copia to grab the butter, planning on making buttercream, the best kind of icing in copias opinion. Throwing all the ingredients into a bowl, you danced around a little, and in the midst of it all, copia got the cake out the oven at the right time this time (With the help of a timer). Turning to see him place it on the counter, you couldn’t help but smile, shuffling over to stand beside him, complementing the cake you two had made, pecking a kiss to his temple before speaking “It looks so good copia! But we have to wait to ice it because it has to cool” you smiled, looking at him, your eyes full of adoration as he looked so proud of the cake I like it was his child, you couldn’t help but walk up behind him, grabbing his bare waist, with a few tickles of course, seeing him so sweet, no one could resist to hold him. The only right reasoning now was, to cuddle and love him until it was cooled, “you’re so cute, you know that.” You muffled into his neck, a small giggle escaping copias lips, the contact tickling him slightly. Deciding to add to his adorable laughs, you squeezed his belly a little which got a laugh out of him, before eventually responding to your compliment “But you’re even cuter cara” kissing your temples, you loved moments like this when it was just the two of you, since he became papa, copia didn’t have as much time as he used to, though he wished he could spend more moments like this, it was more enjoyable than being stuck in a pool of paperwork. “I think the cake might be cooled enough to ice now!” You spoke out moving from him to the cake, though you both missed the body warmth instantly.
Grabbing the icing, you passed copia a spatula, both of you icing the cake making it look extra pretty. With a little icing left, you scooped a little bit of icing on your finger putting it on his nose and on his lip “Oh, no! There’s icing on your lips! What are we going to do?!” You spoke sarcastically, a smirk painted on your lips as a blush crept onto his cheeks, pulling him towards you, a loving look painted on your face “I think I’ll do this” you spoke out as your words were quickly muffled, your lips meeting in a sweet, tender kiss. “I love you caro” you spoke out inches from his face, he loved it when you spoke his mother tongue, another blush appearing on his cheeks though this time deeper than ever “Ti amo, Mia dolce” he spoke sweetly, before grabbing you hands in his, his thumbs tenderly rubbing over your knuckles “How about we go and have a shower? We both need one!” Copia teased, ruffling your hair, getting some of the flour out before placing a tender kiss on your forehead.
Strawberry cake recipe if you’d like to make one!
(Copia not included) :(
Ingredients
400g softened butter, plus more for the tin
400g caster sugar
5 large eggs
400g self-raising flour
100ml natural yogurt
300g strawberries, hulled and halved
2 tsp vanilla extract
For the icing
100g butter, softened
250g soft cheese
600g icing sugar
400g strawberry jam
Method
STEP 1
Butter and line the bases of three 18cm cake tins. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Blend the butter and sugar in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, flour and yogurt and blend again. Add 200g strawberries (save the best ones to decorate) and the vanilla. Blend once more, until the mixture is well combined.
STEP 2
Divide the cake batter evenly between the three cake tins. Spread and smooth the tops with a spatula, then bake for 25-30 mins, until the cakes have risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Return to the oven for another 5 mins if any wet mixture clings to the skewer. Leave in the tins for 5 mins, then turn onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. The cakes can be made up to two days before icing, or frozen for two months.
STEP 3
For the icing, blend the butter and half the sugar until smooth and creamy, add the soft cheese and the remaining sugar and blend again. Be careful not to over mix as the icing will become runny. (If you do overmix, don’t worry – keep mixing with an electric whisk and it’ll thicken back up).
STEP 4
Layer the cakes with the jam and half the icing. Invert the final cake on top, so the base of the cake it now the top, giving you a flat surface. Pile the rest of the icing on top of the cake, using a palette knife to spread the icing over the top and down the sides. Save a little icing to pipe rosettes around the edge of the cake, if you like. Top with the remaining strawberries. Can be made up to a day ahead of serving, keep somewhere cool or in the fridge.
Will keep for three days.